Category: MPOWERED

Are you interested in being a champion for LGBT Health Equity in YOUR state?! Are you already a champion, and looking for some new campaign ideas?!

The Network has created a template postcard for state governors that can be easily co-branded and printed by your organization! The goal of the postcard campaign is to engage governors in ensuring that states are implementing LGBT health best practices guidelines to eliminate health disparities. By having community members sign a postcard for their governor, you will also be educating the community about health disparity issues, while also engaging local support!

If you are interested in, or would like further information on this postcard campaign, please contact us at: healthequity@lgbtcenters.org!

Long story short we are all pushing for and/or understand the importance of comprehensive inclusion of LGBT communities in all surveillance instruments through sexual orientation and gender identity measures. Currently the Health Information Technology Policy Committee is seeking comments on supporting the sexual orientation and gender identity data collection in Stage 3 Meaningful Use Guidelines.

By the Close of Business day we are hoping to get as many CEO’s and Directors of Organizations, Foundations etc. to sign on to a letter developed by the Fenway Institute and the Center for American Progress.

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Since the release of the MPOWERED: Best and Promising Practices for LGBT Tobacco Prevention and Control document last month, the Network has disseminated over 500 hard copies to folks from across the country. As mentioned before MPOWERED is a unique document that adds scientific rigor to a year plus long compilation of community practices to create a broad base of LGBT best practices in tobacco control. We are so pleased with the reception it has received thus far and continue to promote it widely. If you would like to automatically download a copy click here. In addition to the report, the Network released a new document this month titled Sexual/Gender Minorities and Tobacco Use Disorder: Implications for Medical Homes. This was a collaborative project with the Pennsylvania Department of Health, written by Joseph Lee MPH, CPH with the Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Click here to download a copy.

Keeping up with some of the great media that took place last month, Scout was interviewed for an article that was placed in Desert Outlook this month. Click here to read the full article, Smoke and Mirrors: A look at smoking and its impact shows highest rate among LGBT people. Additionally, Gustavo was featured in Bay Windows after receiving the Trailblazers Award given by LEGACY which was also featured in Legacy’s e-NEWS. In addition, Nicole Sutton, a member of the Network Steering Committee was also featured in Legacy’s e-NEWS as the recipient of their Champion Award.

As part of our ongoing effort to get HHS to include LGBT in the official legal expansion of the definition of disparity populations, we worked with Center for American Progress and others to help coordinate a long-awaited meeting with the HHS decisionmaker on this subject, Dr. John Ruffin. The meeting occurred in late August. Dr. Lisa Bowleg attended on behalf of the Network. There was no clear commitment from the meeting but we carried the message strongly that inclusion in this expanded definition is one of the single highest impact decisions HHS can do to level the playing field for LGBT health disparities.

Scout was invited to present at the National Center for Health Statistics conference this month. He presented on the leading prospects for gender identity data measures. Currently HHS is still formulating their plan for how gender identity data collection will be accomplished.

Scout also attended the last convening of the TAPP-INTO project in Minnesota. This is the end of a five year supplemental technical assistance contract the Network has had with a team of state-level disparity networks in Minnesota. We are working on releasing more products summarizing the lessons learned from that effort.

In closing, although the Summit is behind us we are still reaping the benefits of some of our blogging scholars who continue to post about things they learned at the Summit. Click here to view the past and present blogs posts from this year’s Summit.

As many of you know last month we released our much anticipated MPOWERED: Best and Promising Practices for LGBT Tobacco Prevention and Control Document. The document, which we are extremely proud to have developed is just one piece in a larger missions outlined by our current administration.

President Obama has demonstrated a vision for greater equality for LGBT communities across the country. In doing so, HHS continues to engage in a concerted effort to improve the health and well-being of all Americans, including LGBT people. Secretary Kathleen Sebelius had led these efforts to promote equal treatment of LGBT communities, provide enhanced resources for LGBT health issues, and develop better information regarding LGBT health needs. Over the past couple years we have seen some major advances, and as we move forward we take much pride in our current administration’s commitment to addressing LGBT health equity globally. This document is one part of this larger picture, looking at best and promising practices in order to better address tobacco prevention and control within LGBT communities. Our Network is committed to advocating for, and working alongside, Secretary Sebelius, Dr. Howard Koh, as well as many others, in the advancement of LGBT health equity at HHS.

As noted in my previous blog this is the first document of this kind to culminate the work around disparities in LGBT tobacco prevention and control. The creation of MPOWERED was a rigorous process and our goals were two-fold; to create a valuable document for the tobacco control community, and to develop a process with scientific backing for the development of future documents of this kind.

To date we have disseminated over 500 hard copies to folks across the country and we pleased to hear all of the great feedback that has come from the field. We would not have been able to have such an amazing resource if it was not for all of the folks who provided feedback, and resources to assist in the development of this document. In addition, I want to take a moment to thank once again our dedicated committee of eight (Network staff and Steering Committee members) who worked many hours to ensure the document came to life. We would not have been able to do this with out them.

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Our last fiscal year with our current 5 year cooperative agreement started July 1st and rest assured, the coming year will be full of new products, learning opportunities, and expanded focuses that will continue to transform the LGBT health and tobacco control movement.

With that being said, On August 14 the Network released MPOWERED: Best and Promising Practices for LGBT Tobacco Prevention and Control at our Summit in Kansas City. MPOWERED is a community-driven document unlike anything else in our community; one that we hope will raise the bar for the development of future best practice documents. Created by a committee of eight Network staff and Steering Committee members who worked to solicit best and promising practices, suggested additions, and revisions from the Networks constituent base for about a year we are please to say this is a community document through and through. Click here and a copy will automatically be downloaded into your download folder.

The 8th National LGBT Health Equity Summit, which was a resounding success, was held on August 14th in Kansas City and had 120 leaders from across the country in attendance. With generous support from our sponsors; American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network, Legacy, and many more, we were able to support travel for over 20 youth/young adult, and community leaders from across the country who otherwise would not have been able to attend, including six blogging scholarships. To see all of the amazing blogs from the summit, click here, and be sure to comment, and share as appropriate. Click here to see photos from the Summit and the Evening Event: Beyond Fabulous planned and sponsored by Rescue Social Change Group.

A highlight of the summit was the Youth Track, which was designed by the Youth Planning Committee, and provided a space for the nearly thirty youth present to come together and create a sustainable and inspiring new direction for youth and young adults in the Network and the health equity movement. Click here to see their closing remarks at the summit which gained a standing ovation from the crowd.

The night before the summit the Network convened its Steering Committee to have a meeting as we plan for the future at this pivotal time. All Steering Committee members but one were able to be in attendance, as we discussed the strategic plan. Majority of the discussion was centered around the MPOWERED document and the future dissemination plan, which was enthusiastically received.

Immediately following the summit the Network staff (along with two blogging scholars) attended the National Conference on Tobacco or Health. Staff and Steering Committee members had a hand in planning and presenting at three sessions, as well as one conference plenary focused on disparity populations. Additionally, the theme of disparities in tobacco control at the conference created a lot of interest in the Network and the new MPOWERED document.

Earlier in July, Dr. Scout attended a meeting at NIH about being out in the workplace. During this meeting, the Deputy Director of NIH, Dr. Tabak, expressed upcoming opportunities at NIH for advancing LGBT health Research. To view the full video and blog click here.

The Network had two very visible op-eds over the past month and a half written by Dr. Scout. The first Op-ed: The Real Verdict? We Want to Be Healthier, about the Affordable Care Act, was written up in the Advocate. The second, Want to Supercharge Our LGBT Inclusion? Call the NAACP, in the Huffington Post, was the result of a fortuitous conference connect we had with the head of NAACP at Netroots Nation earlier this year. With the help of the Center for American Progress, as well as the NAACP, a letter was delivered in late June across HHS with thirty-three signors, including some of the biggest civil rights groups of our era, supporting not only the formal expansion of the definition of health disparities to include LGBT People, but also a range of other related requests that come from the Institute of Medicine LGBT report, and resulting in a milestone for LGBT Health. Both op-eds are exceptional reads and showcase not only the true nature of collaboration, but the successes that come from these partnerships. Please take a moment and click the titles above to read each article.

It is with great pleasure that we announce the release of MPOWERED: Best and Promising Practices for LGBT Tobacco Prevention and Control. This new document, which we are so proud to introduce, was officially released last week at the 8th National LGBT Health Equity Summit in Kansas City, MO. We have printed a limited run of copies, some of which were distributed at our exhibit booth at the National Conference on Tobacco or Health last week as well. If you would like a copy of the document, please fill out the form below and we will be sure to get one in the mail to you! You can also download your own official copy by clicking here.

As many of you know, this has been a labor of love, and we have been soliciting input from you all for months. We have reviewed the science, and culminated a document unlike anything before for our community; one that will truly raise the bar for the development of future best practice documents. It is so exciting to see all of the hard work that has been done not only by the Best Practices Committee, but by all of our partners who submitted thoughtful responses, suggestions, and supporting materials to ensure that this document is the best it can be. The Network is community driven, and this is another product created by and for our community.

As Dr. Scout states in the document, “Every disparity population struggles with the lack of precedent for their work, the lack of scientific testing of tailored strategies, and the lack of acknowledgement for the undeniable wisdom built by years of work in the field.” One thing that we all know is if you don’t speak up and share your work, than a huge opportunity to potentially help your community is missed. This document is an effort to ensure that all of the work being done across the country is preserved, and that we can continue to learn from each other as we fight to reduce LGBT health disparities.

Thanks again to our Best Practices Committee for the many hours, days, and months spent developing this valuable document:

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The Youth Track at this year’s Summit blew us away. Sure, we had high hopes for the almost thirty folks under the age of 25 who attended the Summit, but we were FLOORED by their dedication, passion, and innovation in creating a sustainable and inspiring direction for youth and young adult involvement in the Network, and in the health equity and tobacco control movements. This clip is the presentation by the youth track participants at the Summit closing (notice the standing ovation at the end!).

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Tobacco taxes are one of the best ways to prevent youth initiation. Yet, we know little about how LGBT communities engage on this key public health policy. Check out our draft best practices, and let us know your thoughts and any work you know of in this area.

PS: Don’t forget that there are prizes on the line.

MPOWERED: Raise taxes on tobacco products

Rationale: Increasing the price of tobacco products reduces consumption, and this effect is more dramatic for low-income populations. LGBT people also experience the impact of tobacco taxation and reduce their usage in response.

1. Engage LGBT communities in mainstream policy change campaigns

Rationale: LGBT people are disproportionately affected by tobacco use and thus stand to greatly benefit from tobacco control policies directed toward the general population. LGBT people may be more responsive to tax increases than the general population. LGBT organizations are well-equipped with advocacy skills and experience to mobilize the community in favor of tobacco tax increases.

Engage local LGBT organizations and communities in tobacco control to increase awareness of and support for tobacco tax campaigns

Include LGBT organizations and leadership in tobacco control coalitions

Rationale: The tobacco industry has a long history of influencing the LGBT community through targeted campaigns and funding opportunities and has previously manipulated the community in specific tobacco tax campaigns. Countering the tobacco industry’s influence around tax increases presents an opportunity to expose the industry’s exploitation of the LGBT community while working towards reduced smoking within the population.

March has been yet another busy month for the Network. We are pleased to announce the launch of two major projects from the Network. First, Joseph Lee of our Steering Committee is helping us launch MPOWERED best and promising

practices review, an effort to collect lessons learned in the field of LGBT Tobacco Control. The final document will be launched at our Summit, the 8th National LGBT Health Equity Summit, in Kansas City this August. Second, at long last the Network is pleased to announce the launch of our new website www.lgbthealthequity.org. Although we are still working on the last small details, we are very pleased to have this new resource up and running for the field.

He also attended the TAPP-INTO convening of state disparity networks in Minnesota (we have a long term contract to provide tech assist to these networks). See one of the key lessons from their sustainability training here: What do funders want? Gustavo was also out training, he presented on making practices welcoming to LGBT patients at the first ever Sharing Best Practices in GLBT Health training sponsored by the Sylvie Ratelle Prevention and Training Center of Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Most recently, staff attended the FDA Tobacco Policy Center disparities listening session hosted by our friends at Legacy, with the sister tobacco control networks and partners across the country. The next day, Legacy convened the disparity groups to strategize together. Watch to see us roll out more coordinated menthol advocacy in the near future, and read about the other policy priorities here: Disparity Networks Plus.

There have been some major events this month that the Network has been promoting. First, partnering with our friends at Shift MN, we celebrated Kick Butts Day. We had two great posts from MN Youth from Shift MN showcased posts on our blog; Dangerous Swagger and Breathe… Standing Up Against Corporate Tobacco. The Network has also helped promote the Coalition’s Health Awareness Week. Most notably, we have helped spread the news on two major tobacco events: the rollout of the first national tobacco education campaign and the release of the Surgeon General’s Report on youth smoking. Also this month, the Network campaigned to help one of our bloggers, e.shor, run for and ultimately win a scholarship to Netroots Nation. The network also highlighted some world tobacco news, as Brazil announced the ban of flavored cigarettes including menthol. According to a report from the National LGBTQ Youth Adult Tobacco Project, 71% of LGBT youth who smoke cigarettes smoke mentholated cigarettes. If FDA stepped up and also banned menthol in the U.S. it is likely the single most important action that could be taken to deter youth smoking. Also, we continue to highlight local projects, like this one on David Mariner’s tobacco and HIV project, and provide policy insight on our blog, like with our post on LGBT funding announcements and our heads up on things we expect to see soon from HHS.

We are very pleased to report that one of the requests we made with our Puerto Rico allies in January’s Department of Justice meetings has already come about, FBI and DOJ officials have been deployed to Puerto Rico to conduct additional listening sessions with community members with a promise of official trainings to follow. Read more about it here.